IPT IO N SC R SU B
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2012
THUL HIJJAH 25, 1433 AH
No: 15623
48 arrested 7Two royals Europa - Liverpool suffer surprise defeat
150 Fils
71 Syrian soldiers flee to Turkey
over critical tweets Kuwait opposition shuns polls; Registration closes
Max 36º Min 18º
KUWAIT: (Left to right) Kuwaiti lawyer Thekra Al-Rashidi, Jenan Bushehri and Muna Al-Fuzai, Kuwait Times columnist and well-known journalist, filed nomination papers yesterday from the third constituency to contest in the forthcoming Kuwait parliamentary elections — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat By B Izzak And Agencies
Iran’s warplanes fire on US drone WASHINGTON: Iranian warplanes fired at an unarmed US drone in international airspace last week but did not hit the aircraft, the Pentagon said yesterday, disclosing details of an unprecedented incident that triggered a formal warning to Tehran through diplomatic channels. The Nov 1 intercept was the first time Tehran had fired at an unmanned American aircraft, in a stark reminder of how tensions between the United States and Iran could escalate quickly into violence. If Iran had hit the drone, as the Pentagon believes it was trying to do, it could have forced American retaliation - with the potential consequences that entails. According to the timeline provided by the Pentagon, two Iranian SU-25 “Frogfoot” aircraft intercepted the American drone at about 4:50 am as it conducted a routine, but classified, surveillance mission over Gulf waters about 16 nautical miles off the Iranian coast. Pentagon spokesman George Little said the aircraft fired multiple rounds at the Predator drone and followed it for at least several miles as it moved farther away from Iranian airspace. “We believe that they fired at least twice and made at least two passes,”
he said. International airspace begins after 12 nautical miles and Little said the drone at no point entered Iranian airspace. Last year, a crashed CIA drone was recovered inside Iran. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta was quickly notified of the incident, as were members of Congress and the White House, Little added. The United States also sent Iran a warning through diplomatic channels, saying it would defend its military assets and would keep sending aircraft on such surveillance operations. “There is absolutely no precedence for this,” Little said. “This is the first time that a (drone) has been fired upon to our knowledge by Iranian aircraft.” Many questions about the incident remain, including why Iranian warplanes could not manage - if they wanted - to shoot down an unarmed drone, which lacks advanced capabilities to outmaneuver them. Asked whether the Iranian aircraft were simply firing warning shots, Little said: “Our working assumption is that they fired to take it down. You’ll have to ask the Iranians why they engaged in this action.” There was no immediate comment by Iranian officials. — Reuters
KUWAIT: Kuwait has arrested two members of the Al-Sabah ruling family for tweets deemed critical of the government and supportive of the opposition, a human rights group and a lawyer said yesterday. Sheikh Abdullah Salem Al-Sabah and Sheikh Nawaf Malek Al-Sabah were arrested for expressing political views on Twitter, the independent Kuwait Human Rights News Centre said. Sheikh Abdullah’s lawyer AlHumaidi Al-Subaie said his client was arrested late on Wednesday and was expected to be questioned by the public prosecutor later. The two young royals have written tweets sympathetic to the Kuwaiti opposition, which has been organizing protests against an amendment to the electoral law seen as designed to produce a pro-government parliament in a snap December 1 general election. More than 150 protesters and 24 police have been injured at demonstrations since October 21 and the opposition plans another rally on Sunday. Young royal Sheikh Meshaal Al-Malek Al-Sabah was detained for a few days in July for expressing political views deemed offensive. Meanwhile, registration of candidates for Kuwait’s upcoming polls closed yesterday amid a total boycott by the opposition in protest over amendment of the disputed electoral law. “Not a single opposition member has registered. This is a major success for the opponents,” said Talal Al-Kashti, director of Etijahat Studies Center, a private think-tank on local politics, especially elections. As many as 387 hopefuls, including 15
women, filed nomination papers for the December 1 snap polls during the 10-day registration period, but 250 of them registered in the final two days amid opposition allegations of corruption. Only 10 members of the 50-seat parliament elected in February registered. The house was scrapped in a historical ruling by the constitutional court on June 20 which set the stage for the current political crisis. “The next parliament will be entirely pro-government, toothless and with no real powers,” Kashti said. The opposition said it is boycotting the polls because the amended electoral law, claiming it allows the government to influence the outcome of the results and elect a rubber stamp parliament. Under the previous law, Kuwaiti voters were able to choose up to four candidates, but that has now been reduced to only one. The opposition vowed to continue its campaign against the election. “After lower the curtain on the candidates registration play, its time for the (voting) boycott to bring the downfall of the illegitimate parliament,” said opposition figure and former Islamist MP Waleed Al-Tabtabei on Twitter. The opposition plans to stage a large rally tomorrow to mark the 50th anniversary of the constitution and to protest against the electoral law. More than 150 protesters and 24 police have been slightly injured at three demonstrations since October 21. The upcoming election is the second this year and the fifth since mid-2006 as the oil-rich Gulf state has been rocked by ongoing political crises between parliament and the government led by the Al-Sabah ruling family.